Why Did Rothstein Care About Redistricting in California?

From the Sacramento Bee comes word that Scott Rothstein's firm donated $250,000 to the campaign to pass Proposition 11, a ballot measure that was passed by California voters earlier this month. For a guy like Rothstein, that's a far-flung state and a decidedly unglamorous issue -- the measure formed a...

By Thomas Francis

November 19, 2009

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From the Sacramento Bee comes word that Scott Rothstein's firm donated $250,000 to the campaign to pass Proposition 11, a ballot measure that was passed by California voters earlier this month. For a guy like Rothstein, that's a far-flung state and a decidedly unglamorous issue -- the measure formed a 14-person commission for the purposes of redrawing the boundaries of California's congressional members.

But chances are, Rothstein was swayed by the glamour of that ballot measure's spokesman: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, for whom Rothstein had fund-raised.

For the investors in our audience, sorry, but it appears that since Rothstein's quarter-mill went to the campaign and not directly to Schwarzenegger the Guvernator is not inclined to have it returned.

I put a call out to opponents of Prop 11 to see if they have a better theory for why Rothstein invested so much money on this campaign.

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